Deyonta Davis

Deyonta Davis

Davis in 2015
Personal information
Born (1996-12-02) December 2, 1996
Muskegon, Michigan
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school Muskegon (Muskegon, Michigan)
College Michigan State (2015–2016)
Position Power forward
Career highlights and awards

Deyonta Davis (born December 2, 1996) is an American basketball Who played for Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He is a four-star recruit and signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play for the Michigan State Spartans in 2015–16. Davis was recruited with the help of the team's head coach Tom Izzo. He was among the best players in the Class of 2015, winning Mr. Basketball of Michigan in 2015 and appearing in the McDonald's All-On April 12 2016 Davis Announced the He would forgo his sophomore season and enter the draft.American Game the same year.[1][2]

High school career

Davis attended Muskegon High School in Muskegon, Michigan. In his final season, he recorded 4 points and 12 rebounds in the state regional finals, as Muskegon escaped Hudsonville in quadruple-overtime. He played his final game for the Big Reds on March 24, 2015, in a 52-75 quarterfinals loss to Everett High School. He contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks. It was played only three miles from the Michigan State University campus. Davis said after the loss, "It was very important [to help my team advance]. We came out ready to play, but the game just didn't go our way."[3] The game was attended by MSU assistant basketball coach Dwayne Stephens, who helped recruit him to his team. Davis also got the chance to meet Spartans players before competing.[3] As Muskegon's star left his team, head coach Keith Guy said, "The future is bright. Two games don't define his career."[3]

By the end of the season, Davis was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan for 2015. In the balloting, he earned a total of 5,223 points. Arthur Hill's Eric Davis and Everett's Trevor Manuel finished after him, getting 3,757 and 2,837 points respectively. The award was won by two straight players from Muskegon High School, Deshaun Thrower winning in 2014. Big Red coach Guy complemented his team, saying, "To have another kid win it for the second consecutive year, it shows how far our program has come the last three years."[4] Davis was given his personal Mr. Basketball trophy between the quarters of the Michigan state title game, in which Saginaw's Arthur Hill played against Detroit's Western International. He said in disappointment, "I'd much rather be on the floor playing right now."[5]

On April 1, 2015, Davis competed in the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, playing for the West team. He played alongside the likes of Stephen Zimmerman and Jalen Brunson and against Diamond Stone and Cheick Diallo. Davis finished the game with 6 points and 9 rebounds, leading his team in the latter category.[6] In January, when he was named to the game, Bank Hoops scout Steve Bell said, "This is huge for West Michigan."[7] The forward was the first player from that region to appear at the stage since Matt Steigenga in 1988.[7]

College

Davis had a great college career at Michigan State. Davis played one season, averaging 7.5 points per game, 5.5 assists per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. Davis started 16 of the final 17 games of the season for the Spartans.[8] Davis set a freshman school record with 64 blocks. Davis was key part to Michigan States record setting start to the season, Big Ten Tournament Championship, and MSU's 2nd overall final rank in the AP Poll. Davis set the school freshman record with 64 blocked shots, second-most in a single season in program history.[9]

With the good season under his belt, Davis declared for the draft on April, 12th, 2016. Coach Tom Izzo said the following on the decision to leave early, "As a coach, my job is to help my players grow both on and off the basketball court," Izzo said in a statement. "Over the last year, Deyonta has improved as a player, as he is just starting to tap his true potential. Off the court, there is no question that he has grown by leaps and bounds as he matures as a young man. I've been fortunate to live my dreams, but the real thrill as a coach is getting to see my players live their dreams. I look forward to following Deyonta's development and career in the NBA for years to come."

Davis was quoted as saying "I asked Coach Izzo and Coach Guy Keith Guy, (Davis' high school basketball coach) to do research for me, the information that came back made me decide to enter the draft. It was a tough decision, but after talking to my family and coaches, I felt it was the right decision and one I'm fully committed to. I'd like to thank all of the people that helped me this year -- my teammates and coaches, the academic support staff and especially the fans that welcomed me with open arms. Because of their help, I'm in position to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. This has been a great year for me at Michigan State -- including a memorable trip to Italy, being a part of the best start in school history and winning the Big Ten Tournament. I will always be a Spartan and look forward to coming back to campus like so many other pros do now."[10]

Jonathan Givony from DraftExpress had the following to say on Davis, "The main attraction here (Middle Tennessee vs Michigan State) for NBA personnel, besides well-scouted Wooden Award candidate Denzel Valentine, is freshman Deyonta Davis, a potential lottery pick. Although he was a McDonald's All-American, Davis was not the most highly regarded player in his class, but has emerged nevertheless thanks to his tremendous physical tools and impressive versatility on defense. Davis has been a very reliable rebounder and rim-protector at the power forward position, helping to compensate for what is otherwise a rather unimposing Michigan State team physically. Although he doesn't produce eye-popping numbers, his ability to switch on screens and stay in front of players big and small has been huge for the Spartans, especially late in games. He came up with back to back defensive plays in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game that essentially sealed the win over Purdue. Casual fans should try and get to know him better as the Tournament moves on, provided Michigan State is able to advance, as there's a pretty good chance the NBA will be calling for him when the season is over."[11]

Season Averages

TEAM Season Min FGM-FGM FG% FTM-FTA FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
Michigan State 2015-16 18.7 3.4-5.6 .597% .7-1.1 .605% 5.5 .8 1.9 .3 2.3 .9 7.4

Season Totals

TEAM Season Min FGM-FGM FG% FTM-FTA FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
Michigan State 2015-16 635 114-191 .597% 23-38 .605% 188 26 63 9 78 30 251

Professional

Tom Izzo said on April 5th, “I’ll be honest with you, I think it’s 50-50, I think everybody is just gathering information. I’ve gathered more information and the NBA comes out with some things that are a little bit more legit for the underclassmen.” [12] On April 12th, 2016, Davis declared for the NBA Draft. Coach Tom Izzo had openly stated how he believed that Davis wouldn't fulfill all of collegiate eligibility.[13] Davis released a statement on his draft decision, "I asked coach (Tom) Izzo and (Muskegon High School) coach (Keith) Guy to do research for me. The information that came back made me decide to enter the draft. It was a tough decision, but after talking to my family and coaches, I felt it was the right decision and one I’m fully committed to.” [14] Davis plans to hire an agent before the draft.[15] Davis is looked at a potential lottery pick, along with teammate Denzel Valentine. [16] Davis hired Bill Duffy as his agent.[17]

Davis along with teammate, Denzel Valentine, were selected to attend the 2016 NBA Combine.

References

  1. ↑ "Deyonta Davis, Muskegon". 247Sports.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Deyonta Davis Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Edwards III, James L. "Mr. Basketball ends prep career at state quarterfinals". MLive.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Opfermann, Mark. "Michigan State-bound Deyonta Davis of Muskegon takes Mr. Basketball in stride, looks ahead to state quarterfinals". MLive.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Dacey, Justin. "Muskegon All-American Deyonta Davis receives personal Mr. Basketball trophy on future home court at Michigan State". MLive.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "McDonalds All-American Game". RealGM.
  7. 1 2 Brandenburg, Scott. "'This is huge for West Michigan': Muskegon star, MSU signee Deyonta Davis' McDonald's All-American selection is historic". MLive.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Deyonta Davis". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  9. ↑ "Tom Izzo knew Deyonta Davis wouldn't be at Michigan State for long". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  10. ↑ "Spartans freshman Davis to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  11. ↑ "DraftExpress: NCAA Tournament NBA Draft Prospect TV Schedule: Friday". www.draftexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  12. ↑ "Izzo: Deyonta Davis '50-50’ on returning to MSU". Detroit News. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  13. ↑ "Tom Izzo knew Deyonta Davis wouldn't be at Michigan State for long". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  14. ↑ Helin, Kurt (2016-04-12). "Michigan State freshman big man Deyonta Davis declares for draft". ProBasketballTalk. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  15. ↑ "Davis Plans To Enter NBA Draft, Hire Agent - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  16. ↑ "2016 NBA Mock Draft: Michigan State's Deyonta Davis cracks lottery". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  17. ↑ "DraftExpress NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Deyonta Davis, Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook". www.draftexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.

Professional Career

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